PRESS STATEMENT
Court Order against Emfuleni Council
Date: 12/12/2013
SAVE (SAVE the Vaal Environment) has obtained a High Court Order with costs, against the Emfuleni Council to prevent pollution from raw sewerage in the Vaal River. The Court action was unopposed by the Emfuleni Council.
This is another of several Court Orders obtained by SAVE against the Emfuleni Council to stop pollution of the Vaal River from the Council’s three waste water works. These operations are now managed by Rand Water.
The Court Order compels the Emfuleni Council to “take all necessary steps and to do the necessary things to properly maintain its sewer system including pump stations and all sewer networks within the jurisdiction of the Respondent (Emfuleni Council) to ensure that no impermissible sewerage enters the Vaal River and its catchment area from the sewer system”.
The Court Order also interdicts and restrains the Emfuleni Council from allowing raw sewerage to flow into the Vaal River and its catchment area from an overflow pipe situated in Bophelong. This overflow pipe spewed raw sewerage into the Rietspruit via a storm water canal which feeds into the Rietspruit and flows into the Vaal River. The problem was reported and it took 6 days for a response from the Emfuleni Council.
Chairman of SAVE, Trevor Stubbs notes that the sewerage was flowing into the river for a much longer time as indicated by the excessive e-coli counts in the Rietspruit where it enters Loch Vaal. These counts.
The overflow pipe mentioned in the Court Order was deliberately and illegally connected to the manhole which forms part of the waste water disposal system to prevent it from overflowing by allowing the sewerage to escape via the overflow pipe into the storm water canal. This resulted in devastatingly high e-coli counts in Loch Vaal, which, in one week, reached 92 000 counts, whereas 400 counts per 100 ml of water is regarded as dangerous
However, there are many other Councils whose sewerage systems do not meet required standards and whose effluent flows into the Vaal River system. In addition, informal settlements have been allowed to develop without any thought given to sewerage reticulation and there are instances where shady developers of high density developments have not connected into the main system nor made any plans for the efficient removal of sewerage.
“This is by no means the end of the story”, said Trevor Stubbs, Chairman of SAVE. “We have embarked on a fundraising campaign to build our war-chest of funds to take the authorities to the High Court to prevent pollution of the Vaal River system”, said Mr. Stubbs.
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“We need the support of the media to highlight the problems as well as the financial support of corporates, local businesses and tourist organisations that benefit from the Vaal to donate generously to our cause so that we can ensure that the Vaal River is once again a precious environmental asset that contributes to the economy of the Vaal Triangle”, he said.
The Vaal River is a major tourist attraction in Gauteng and the Free State. The tourism industry creates jobs, provide recreation facilities for the general public.
Pollution in the river is a health risk as it can cause serious gastro-intestinal orders and skin irritations. Some infections are extremely difficult to cure. The health of many impoverished communities in the Vaal Triangle who rely on fishing in the river to be able to place a meal on the table are at risk as well as people swimming in the river and the threat to the environment and ecology
Organisations and people wishing to support SAVE’s efforts should contact SAVE at 083-286-3500 or visit the website www.save.org.za.
For further information:
Contact: Maureen Stewart
Telephone 082-5705058.
Contact Details:
SAVE the Vaal Environment
Website: www.save.org.za
e-mail:
Phone: Maureen Stewart 082-5705058
About SAVE (Save the Vaal Environment)
SAVE is a community based non-profit environmental watchdog that aims to protect and maintain the environmental integrity of the Vaal River and its environs for future generations. SAVE’s mandate extends from the Vaal Dam and the Vaal River System to the Barrage and Parys.
SAVE aims to achieve its mission by raising public awareness about polluters in Government and industry and, where necessary to obtain High Court Interdicts against polluters of the Vaal River and its environs.
Achievement of SAVE’s aims is dependent upon its ability to maintain a warchest of funds for legal action.
Successes:: Formed in 1996, SAVE has notched up several successes:
Prevention of a Sasol project to strip mine in an ecologically sensitive area of the Vaal River
Numerous High Court interdicts against the Emfuleni Council to prevent pollution of the Vaal from sewerage works within the Council’s jurisdiction.
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